Editor's note: This is one in an occasional series of stories looking at the progress of the
renovation and expansion of the Columbus Museum of Art - a project to be completed by the fall of
2013.

Eight months into the $36.9 million renovation and expansion of the art museum, the sky's the
limit.

Workers have raised the roof off the Derby Court event space, exposing the former courtyard to
the elements for the first time since it was enclosed 57 years ago.

New steel beams are in place, but the vaulted ceiling's glass panels won't be installed for a
few more weeks.

The panels will be treated to let the sunshine in but deflect much of the heat, said Dave Leach,
the museum's director of facilities. That will ease the cooling requirements and make the room more
pleasant for people attending luncheons, lectures and weddings in the popular space.

Leach led a recent hard-hat tour of the museum for patrons, employees and
The Dispatch.

Since April, Derby Court's stone floor has been removed and replaced with a new one that is 42
inches higher, aligning it with the 1931 building's 10 main galleries, which are also getting
face-lifts.

All of the galleries will get new lighting, and two of them are getting new glass ceiling panels
that will mimic skylights but not be open to the sky. Sunlight and paintings don't mix well, Leach
said.

The first-floor auditorium has a newly poured concrete floor with a more modest slope and better
contouring to improve sightlines, but new seats have yet to be installed.

Elsewhere, consultants also have decided not to remove the bland paint covering decorative
arches in hallway ceilings, but they will probably repaint the ceilings in the spirit of the
original designs.

Construction surprises have been few, aside from a mysterious bullet that workers found lodged
in the building's asphalt roof. Leach surmised that the piece of lead might have taken flight
during an unofficial Fourth of July celebration or other event.

Current renovation work is valued at $6.9 million and is confined to the Italian Renaissance
revival building visible from E. Broad Street. The building is expected to reopen in December or
January.

Then workers will turn their attention to the 1974 wing, which has remained open during the
renovation. Phase two calls for an update of the wing and the construction of a 50,000-square-foot
building with gallery space for large installations and a new cafe.

The museum has budgeted $30million for the next phase. All of the work is being paid for through
the Art Matters building and endowment campaign. The museum has raised $51 million of the